Comp Titles, Platform, and How To Do Your Research with Simon & Schuster Editor Hannah Robinson

Summary: This week’s episode is all about comparative and competitive titles—what they are, how they work, and the most common writer mistakes. We talk about the books that are off-limits for comps, how to figure out if a book you’re considering is the right size (based off of information that is easily searchable), and how comps are just like the human “algorithms” you use every day to help your friends read, learn, and cook. We also talk about non-traditional (and more accessible!) definitions of platform, how editors pitch your books to their teams, and what you can do now to improve your odds of getting published. You can check out Hannah’s class, Cracking The Comp Title Code, going live Wednesday, June 17, at 8:30pm EDT, at https://manuscriptacademy.com/cracking-the-comp-title-code-class. A replay is also available at the same link. 13:58: The eternal platform question 19:09: Comps: What they’re for, how to use them, and how they help your book 21:00: The books you can’t use as comps 23:25: How editors pitch manuscripts at editorial board and acquisitions meetings 26:12: What Hannah looks for in comp titles—and why an A-/B+ midlist comp title is ideal 33:25: How to use Amazon to know if you can and should use a particular book as a comp